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Chris Foster

You don’t have to look too far to run into this classic 1965 hit by the Righteous Brothers. Whether it’s from movies, like 1990’s Ghost, or on the radio by one of the various artists who have covered it, there’s a reason it is firmly entrenched in our culture. It was even inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000! Of course by now you know, we’re talking about “Unchained Melody.” In fact, I fondly remember it from school dances.

Believe it or not, the Righteous Brothers’ rendition of this song was actually released as the B-side of the single “Hung On You,” which was the bands follow up to “Just Once in My Life.” Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret in 1955, “Unchained Melody,” is acclaimed in large part due to Bobby Hatfield’s vocals. The story goes that he and his singing partner Bill Medley agreed to do one solo performance each per album. Both of the singers wanted to do “Unchained Melody,” however Hatfield won a coin-toss and the rest is history.

Check out an amazing live performance of the song below, and if you’re looking for more great classics, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered!